Web links for 21st December 2010

"Children and Young People Now" reports that vulnerable children and young people will be hit by London Councils' 63.5 per cent cut in funding for 200+ voluntary organisations. The £16.5 million saved by this move will be returned to the Boroughs but, because it will not be ‘ringfenced’ the charities are unlikely to receive as much from the individual authorities as they received from the LBGS.

The GMB says that the government's decision to scrap the target for category B calls for an ambulance to be answered within 19 minutes will cost lives. "Scrapping the 19 minute target means that the ambulance service will now become like the police service and people will just have to wait until they turn up if they turn up at all," said Justin Bowden GMB National Officer for the ambulance service.